A Hockey Player's Guide To Deception

Chapter Thirty-Five

Kayla was completely lost in her thoughts. She couldn't think, she couldn't sleep, and she could barely even eat. Her mind felt like a locked room with no windows, trapping her with the same thoughts over and over again. All she could think about was Nolan, what he had gone through, and what he was still going through. It broke her heart to know he had carried something so heavy all by himself.

She wanted to reach out to him, to talk to him, to let him know he was not alone. But she knew it wasn't her place. Who would want pity from someone who was practically a stranger? Who wanted a random person to know the darkest parts of their soul?

And then there was Louis.

She could not stop thinking about him either. He had been avoiding her for a whole week. She had tried to give him space, but she was tired of him running every time things got difficult. She knew she needed to talk to him, yet she had no idea what to say. The truth was, she did not hate him for what happened. She was simply unsettled by his actions, and if she was being honest, it did change the way she looked at him.  

Kayla released a deep sigh and dragged a hand through her thick curls. She needed to find Louis. She needed to fix this, because she knew he was already tearing himself apart over what had happened.

She scanned the hallway, eyes searching through the crowds of boys filing past, before leaning back against her locker and folding her arms tightly across her chest. There was no sign of him. Nowhere. She had checked the classroom already, he hadn't been there either.

Then her gaze caught on Nolan, and her heart dropped straight into her stomach. Her brows knit together. He'd chopped off his once-great lock of long, dark hair. Hair was sacred to natives, she knew it could represent mourning, the shedding of negative energy, or the release of heavy thoughts. The symbolism hit her hard, rocking her to her core. She lifted a brow, surprise flickering through her, but before she could rein herself in, her feet were already moving, logic abandoned entirely.

"Hey," she blurted out, the word coming out far more sheepishly than she intended.

Nolan narrowed his eyes, then only nodded in response.

"I-" Kayla trailed off, suddenly unsure of what to say. He stared at her, waiting. Expecting.

"I was wondering if..."

"I'm guessing he told you," Nolan cut in, his tone flat, empty of warmth.

Kayla went still. Words scrambled uselessly in her head as heat rushed to her cheeks.

"How did you know?" she asked quietly.

He shrugged. "You have that look in your eyes."

"What look?"

"The look of pity."

"Oh...."

His eyes flicked past her shoulder, lingering there a second too long. He hesitated, jaw tightening, before speaking. "Don't bother with me. I'm fine."

The words cut through the silence. He brushed past her, close enough that she caught the faint rush of air, leaving her rooted in place, mouth slightly parted. Her brows knitted together as she turned, following the direction of his glance, until her gaze landed on Louis.

He stood a short distance away, watching them. One brow lifted in quiet curiosity. His face gave nothing away, smooth and unreadable, but his eyes... they told a different story

A knot twisted in her chest.

She squared her shoulders and marched toward him, boots striking the floor harder than necessary.